Natalie come into university today to demonstrate some special effect, our course does not involve this so it was interesting to see a different side to the industry. Natalie studied her level 3 degree at Manchester University and moved to London to work within a workshop. This is where Katie freelanced/ trained as an apprentice for six months. Katie is super versatile as she specialises in fashion too, Katie has worked on commercials for the likes of; Elle, Vogue, Ester Laurder and many more!
Katie is the owner of the Make up Armory (shop outside of pinewood) here not only does she complete makeup, hair and prosthetics but also retail other brands of brushes which are all vegan
I thought this demo was absolutely amazing and looked so realistic up close. I loved this Special effects look that much i decided to take step by step notes in case i wanted to re-create this in the future.
step by step
Step 1. Start by cleansing the skin. this will eliminate any oil on the skin ( doing transfers so will stick a lot better)
Step 2. next apply Derma shield as this provides a protective barrier. mouse protects skin from irritation of alcohol products , high alcohol content in products
step 3. apple a beeswax based concealer
apply a brown eye shadow under the eye to give a hollow appearance, the aim is to make the model look as ill as possible.
don't worry about your edges when sculpting because of release and seal (alcohol) , it gives an invisible edge. To Sculpt a Boyle , you must use clay and a sculpting tool to calve the shape then build a wall, apply Vaseline and fill with silicone, Put the mould in the fridge to set quicker. Flat moulds are used for tv and film mainly for continuity purposes.
Use telasis glue on skin, stick mold on and pull back and pull edges, rub over the mould using gentle pressure/ circular motions to secure, blend edges with alcohol.
Use iPa (100% alcohol) to wet the brush and stimulate the illustrator palette, Colour the boyle using shade skin tone. 99.9% alcohol will only work with this pallet if it's anything less it will ruin the pallet.
Using the tip of a thin detailer brush Apply shade blood tone In between each of the boils because this will exaggerate the boils. Fumes from IPA around the eyes will make them sting so use grease paint.
use a mottling to make the models skin look fever Ish, Stippling splatter with red - make this look natural ( like blending motion).
apply darker shades of the colour red in between the boils
using aged blood create veins on the face, ensure you buff this and don't make oblivious lines.
Aged blood (darker toned blood)
add depth to the crevices such as the side of the nose using brown to black shades from the illustrator palette
apply brown eye shadow to the face to give the illusion of dirt, locate this randomly. to help use fingers to get a blended, realistic look. Also you could bend a cotton bud instead of using your fingers
get model to dry their teeth with a piece of tissue (just the front)
Use two cotton buds to apply two different shades to the teeth, the shades are tobacco and black
Using cream based make up apply it around the edges of the mouth
swirl peppermint flavoured blood around the mouth (Vegan). once the blood is opened it has got to be thrown after a month and kept in the fridge.
drop one drop of eye blood in the eye, the effect of this will last around 30 seconds to 1 minute. Usually you would ask your model to do this IF COUMFTABLE however when filming use contact lenses.
around boils and lips to make appear flaky , not a dried sut more runny - stretch the lip and it will dry back on its self.
apply stringy blood inside the nostrils (not too far) and excess blood on the brush mottle at the side of the nose (into crevices). this blood consistency is In between scab and runny so gives a different texture.
personally i would add a moisturiser through the hair to give it a greasy look and feel
Q/ A: Question asked, Question answered, industry knowledge/tip
Voldemort is a main character from the film Harry Potter, his character has no nose so when filming it would be painted green and cgi will edit it out (Green screen). Because this is a main character, In TV and film you would get around 4 hours to complete the styling, make up and hair look.
When using blood in the eye usually the artist will not do this the model will do it them selves, It should be the first thing done because eyes water and can run.
Some company's like Sky and news agents require artists to airbrush.
The knowledge is free to sign up to and it gives notifications of productions that are filming in your local area, it also provides names of designers and head of teams so you can communicate if interested in participating.
breaking down skins and making people look unwell i done by using cool tones, grey and blue. always ask for materials.
Always wear black on set, this is the most appropriate / professional colour.
Always have to sign a disclaimer otherwise you can't take photos, there are terms and conditions with this as you are only allowed your phone still for continuity purposes and nothing else. You can't take your phones on set as they are usually kept in a trailer.
as a Artist working for vogue you don't get paid because it is seen as always a privilege
Commercial pay rate is usually around £200 day, but over 7 hours varies from £295-1000.
BBC pay up to £200 a day, £300.00-400.00 a day when professional and if a designer up to £1,500
what is your Biggest achievement?
Make up armoury , i am lucky to have backing from lots of talented artists ( one who worked on Steven Hawkins film)
What are your dream sfx products/ essentials
completion pallets ( to braking down skin), bloods , telasis adhesive and sculpt gel
Imats, United make up artist (sfx) watch demos and meet people, go speak to people.
Where do you see your self in the next 5years?
Concentrate on armoury and bits of freelance, this is a big commitment as owner but maybe sell it on and do a range of products
Favourite make up brand?
Special effects team wolf , airbrush colours (biggest company in America)
what advice would you give us students?
to progress further and harder you have to be really committed, put all into your work and be passionate and to guide your self down the right avenue, go to conventions and make contacts!
Hair is expected in TV and film but Katie has the luxury of not doing so, she feels she is weaker in this are so has a hair artist
Do you get judged by your look and style?
To overcome this take it upon your self to have a really strong portfolio that shows your artistry and versatility
Most Challenging job?
mainly hair, as i worked on a film called "get Santa" over the Christmas period. Characters required loads of wigs, and Katie was given instructions to tame them which wasn't great and the designer wasn't happy.
Another was a shoot for vogue and it was a beautiful manor and costumes were stunning but they wanted a mask, Katie brought a silicone mask and designer approved it and on the day they said they didn't like it, this resulted in having to re make the whole mask. As a artist you have to roll and work with challenges and it will make you better.
what is the process for Designing, for feature film (heavy prosthetic)?
it takes a long time to achieve a good make up (usually 1-3 month development, ), so many channels; director and other departments like props that need to see your designs to confirm them.
Katie used to work in a studio upstairs every couple of days every few weeks for month prior to the production, she did this to have her work checked and signed off.
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